The Gossip Column:

The nominees for the PURINA PRO PLAN SHOW DOGS OF THE YEAR AWARDS partnered with DOG NEWS have been notified of their nominations. There is great excitement this year with the WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB returning to its home in Manhattan. With the group and Best in Show judging returning to Madison Square Garden, good seating will be at a premium. Evening tickets are now available through the Ticketmaster website, and tickets for the daytime judging at the Javits Center are available on the Westminster Kennel Club website. ...

In next week’s issue of DOG NEWS, the long-awaited 2025 MORRIS & ESSEX KENNEL CLUB judging panel will be released, coinciding with the dog show that will be held one year from now. Your participation helps make it a success. ...

MEET THE BREEDS will once again be held at the Javits Center on Saturday and Sunday, January 25 and 26. For those interested in participating with their breed, contact meetthebreeds@akc.org. ...

Our thoughts are with longtime Brittany breeder JENELLE LARSON, who tragically lost her beloved dogs, home and all her possessions in the fires that swept through Southern California. ...

Two dog trainers who popularized Collies worldwide were RUDD WEATHERWAX and his son BOB WEATHERWAX. BOB, who took over the training following his father’s death, passed away in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on August 15. When LASSIE was honored in St. Louis at the AKC DOG MUSEUM, BOB attended the ceremony, and I was presented with a LASSIE book complete with his pawprint. After all, it was LASSIE that was responsible for my family getting a tri-colored Collie for my birthday. ...

We were saddened to hear that well-respected American Cocker Spaniel fancier, noted canine-oncology expert and veterinarian ANN JEGLUM has passed away. She was the go-to vet for whose advice people traveled far and wide to the Veterinary Oncology Services and Research Center in West Goshen, Pennsylvania. ...

Forty-five years and they never had a fight … That’s the history and success of the long-lasting marriage of GREG & SULIE GREENDALE PAVEZA: Congratulations and best wishes. ...

Celebrating Birthdays … KIM CALVACCA, PAM BEALE, ANDREW GREEN, MICHAEL SHEPHERD, JULIE LYNN MUELLER, ROBERTA LOMBARDI, KATHY FERRIS, ROZ MINTZ-FOSCO, ALYSA SYAR, ANN SCHWARTZ, DAMARA BOLTE, BRUCE SCHULTZ, MARIE FALCONER NUTTING, JACK SECREST, KATHLEEN STEEN, JOE BREEN, BRYAN TIMBY, RICHARD LASHBROOK, MANDY CLEVENGER, VALERIE NUNES-ATKINSON, PAT CRUZ, LINDA PITTS, JACKIE ADAMS, DAVID BUENO, ANNE CATTERSON, KIRSI SAINIO, ZACK HELMER, PAM MANDEVILLE, COLTON JOHNSON, MELODY SALMI, HOLLEY ELDRED, ANNEMARIE RUGGIERI, ERIKA LANASA, JOE KINNARNEY and PHIL PETILLO.